App Can Help Reduce Interdialytic Weight Gain in Chronic Hemodialysis

THURSDAY, July 30, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For adults receiving chronic outpatient hemodialysis, use of a smartphone-based app designed to support fluid intake restriction is feasible and associated with sustained reductions in interdialytic weight gain (IDWG), according to a study published in the August issue of Kidney Medicine.Michael Rocco, M.D., from the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and colleagues conducted a pre-post intervention study involving adult patients receiving chronic outpatient hemodialysis with mean IDWG >3.5 percent during a three-month period. Participants were trained to use a smartphone app that allowed recording of fluid intake and incorporated features of behavioral support. During the eight-week active phase of the trial, patients were asked to use the app daily. IDWG was also assessed during a six-month passive phase.The active phase was completed by 23 patients, and they provided app data. The researchers found that mean IDWG for the three-day interdialytic interval decreased by −0.52 ± 0.24 lb and by −0.86 ± 0.96 lb during the active and passive phases, respectively, compared with baseline. There were no safety concerns (defined as >50 percent increase in IDWG). The app was used on ≥80 percent of the days by 65 percent of participants during the active phase and was used daily by 26 percent of the participants. During the passive phase, reductions in IDWG were sustained. Weak and non-statistically significant correlations were seen between app-recorded fluid intake and IDWG."This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a smartphone app to support fluid intake restriction in chronic dialysis patients and suggests that integrating behavioral techniques into digital tools may contribute to clinically meaningful decrease in IDWG," the authors write.Several authors disclosed ties to Danone Research & Innovation, which funded the study.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

App Can Help Reduce Interdialytic Weight Gain in Chronic Hemodialysis

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